Brand new install

Wow I'm so glad I found this site. I'm getting ready to finalize my excavating in my backyard, and pretty soon I will have no excuse for all the sand and weeds around the house. So here comes the sprinkler system. I'm definitely a do-it-yourself'r with budget in mind.

Here's some stats on my house:
I have a pretty decent size yard around my house ( maybe 1.5 acres ).
I have a shallow well in my basement that can produce around 12 gpm with the pump I have on it.
My layout is somewhat simple so I think I'm going to just use rotors (no small spray heads).
I live out in the country so I'll have a tractor with a mower deck for cutting the grass. As such I'd like to look into the "funny" pipe method.

So my first question is this: I see most people recommend Rainbird or Hunter because they are great quality (Hunter being ever so slightly higher). For someone like me who will do everything himself, is one better than the other? Also, are there any other "economy" brands that are still pretty decent? I'm not trying to create the world's greatest lawn here. I just want something that is cheap and easy to install. I can do all the maintenance myself.

Second: Along with a recommendation on products I'm interested in where the best place is to buy this stuff? I've noticed that there are a few dealers on Ebay with competitive prices, but it seems like there is no single place that sells everything.

It's possible that your best bet will be using more than one supply source.

It's generally considered that the parts you get at a local big-box retailer is going to be 'sub-par'. A perfect example would be irrigation valves. Places like Lowe's will carry Rain-bird valves. But they are a 'consumer grade' without any model number. Places like EWING (if you happen to have one locally) and the sponsor of this web site sell what is considered 'professional grade'. In the case of the Rain-bird valves, the DV series is the 'professional' version of what you can get at the big-box stores. (Interestingly enough, based on pricing on the web, the DV valves at this sponsor's web site are cheaper than what Lowe's currently shows for the 'consumer' version). So for valves I'd suggest our sponsor or a local EWING supply store.

But when it comes to some bulk items (like Sch40 PVC pipe), the stuff is manufactured to NSF standards. So you're basically going to get the same thing ordering from online, EWING, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. In that case, you might come out cheaper at a local big box retailer (especially in view of shipping charges... if you have a way of getting 10' pipe home from the retail store that is).

IMHO, if installed correctly, Sch40 PVC should be more dependable and longer lasting if you are in climates where the freeze line is above the level of the installed pipe. It's just plain stronger. Now if you live in colder climates with ground freeze, poly might be the better choice because should water get in the pipe sometime over the winter, the poly pipe has a better chance as surviving a freeze that PVC.

As for funny pipe, that's just thin, flexable pipe used to connect a sprinkler head to the pipe. The idea is to provide a flexable connection between the pipe and the sprinker head so that if someone, say, runs over the sprinkler head with a car, you don't bust the water pipe, just the sprinkler head (much easier to replace than burried pipe). Swing arms assymblys give you the same type of protection, but that's using hard pipe. Funny pipe, with its benability, might be more flexable for aquard situations. Funny pipe is (relatively) extreamly small, and therefore only ment to feed a single sprinkler head for a max distance on the order of several feet.

This is great info. I am also in the process of navigating a new sprinkler system. I'm really in the beginning stages of trying to figure out where to install the box and valves, timer, etc. My water comes in on the garage side, yet I would need to run the feed line all the way around the back of the house. I'm leaning towards putting all the stuff behind the house so i can run lines up each side and not deal with the driveway. I live in a subdivision with a .20 or so acre lot. Nothing huge.

It sounds like going with something like rainbird from an irrigation store is better than lowes (which was my first go to). Is there a list of this site of initial items to get? Almost like a basic parts list of (here are the 10 major things you will need)?